


Save the Last Dance

by bjfic_archivist



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Canon, No Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-07-31
Updated: 2003-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-27 04:56:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12073947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bjfic_archivist/pseuds/bjfic_archivist
Summary: Some things are only a matter of timing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from IrishCaelan, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Brian_Justin_Fanfiction_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in September 2017. I posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjfic/profile).

By the end of the night he would be locked in a padded bedroom. There was no doubt in his mind that he had to be hallucinating. It couldn’t be real. But Daphne was seeing it too. So either she was sharing my insanity or Brian was really there. 

At his prom. 

Beginning to believe that what he was seeing was real, Justin didn’t attempt to stop the smile that was spreading across his face. Justin locked eyes with his lover and watched as Brian made his way across the ballroom to where he stood with Daphne. 

Even though no one else would notice it, Justin could tell that Brian was scared shitless. His body exuded confidence as he strode towards the teens dressed in a black tux sans tie with a lustrous white scarf draped loosely about his shoulders. It was his eyes that gave him away. For the briefest of seconds, Justin had seen a trace of uneasiness in the older man’s hazel eyes before the smirk took over his features and he was once again the unshakable Brian Kinney. 

Neither said anything for a few moments as Brian finally reached the teens. For his part, Justin was still too shocked by the ad exec’s appearance to say anything. When he finally did speak, it was only to shoot Brian’s words from Babylon back at him. 

“I thought you said you wouldn’t be caught dead in a room full of eighteen year-olds.” 

Unable to conceal his grin, Brian reached over and fiddled with the lapel of Justin’s tux jacket. “I thought I’d recapture my lost youth,” he revealed nonchalantly. 

His mind going back to Brian’s deathday party two mornings ago, Justin couldn’t help but return his smile. 

“You look hot, Daphne,” Brian continued, turning his grin on the young woman. Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to her temple then whispered in her ear, loud enough for Justin to hear, “I’d fuck you.” 

Instantly flustered, Daphne stammered, “You... you too, Brian.” 

Having been on the receiving end of Brian’s magnetic charm on more than one occasion, Justin could sympathize with his best friend’s predicament. But Brian’s eyes were once again focused on him and the artist knew that it would only lead to trouble. 

Though not necessarily the bad type of trouble. 

Eyes trained on Justin’s face, Brian once again addressed Daphne. “Mind if I borrow your date?” 

Justin could almost feel Daphne hesitate before she placed her hand on his shoulder, silently giving Brian her permission. Justin shot Daphne a quick grin before Brian grabbed hold of his hand and he was being led towards the center of the dance floor. The younger man felt as though he were in the middle of an old musical as the crowd parted before them, giving the pair a wide birth within which to dance. 

As the first strains of the Drifter’s “Save the Last Dance For Me” came on, Justin was convinced that the night’s events were someone scripted. 

“So, country club boy, how well can you dance?” Brian murmured as they stood face to face in front of the stage. 

You can dance  
Every dance with the guy  
Who gives you the eye.  
Let him hold you tight. 

You can smile.  
Every smile for the man  
Who held your hand  
Beneath the pale moonlight. 

Slowly, they began to sway back and forth, Brian taking the white scarf from about his throat and looping it over Justin’s head so that it came to rest on his shoulders. 

Never having actually danced like this before, Justin followed Brian’s lead. It surprised him that Brian knew how to dance this. Of course, by this point, Justin knew that he shouldn’t be surprised by anything Brian did. So Justin followed Brian’s lead, laughing as the older man spun him around and held him close, shimmying their hips together. 

In a playful mood, Justin slid his hand down Brian’s chest, searching out the buttons of his jacket. “Time for me to play, old man.” 

If he asks (you can dance)  
If you’re all alone (you can dance)  
Can he take you home (you can dance)  
You must tell him no (you can dance) 

Grinning impishly at Brian, Justin began to unbutton his tux jacket. Once he had the jacket open, Justin slid behind Brian, pressing his body flush against the ad exec’s. As he raised his hands to pull the jacket from the older man’s shoulder, Brian grinned at him over his shoulder, enjoying the turn their dance had taken. Returning his grin, Justin slid the jacket from Brian’s shoulders and down his arms. He scanned the crowd quickly for Daphne then tossed the jacket to her before turning back to Brian. 

Delighting in his time in control of the dance, Justin flung the scarf around Brian’s throat. Grabbing both ends, he used them to guide Brian across the floor. 

It wasn’t long, however, before he found himself being turned in circles around the dance floor by the other man. Justin lost track of how many times he had gone around long before Brian brought him to a stop, pulling the blonde up against his chest. 

Cause don’t forget who’s taking you home  
And in whose arms you’re gonna be.... 

“Put your left leg on my hip,” Brian murmured quickly, already beginning to dip Justin. 

Doing as he was told, Justin soon found himself being dipped so low that his head was nearly touching the ground. Justin mentally made a note to ask Brian where he learned to dance like this. 

This time when Brian spun him, the ad exec wrapped his arm tight about Justin’s waist, lifting him off the ground in the process. 

Darlin’ save the last dance for me.  
Mmmmm... Save the last dance for me. 

Before his feet touched the ground, Justin found himself sharing an intense kiss with Brian. Justin had one hand gripping the back of Brian’s throat while the other clutched at his shirt just under his arm. He couldn’t get enough of tasting his lover’s lips and tongue. It was addictive. An addiction that Justin knew he would never conquer. Nor did he want to because in that moment, Justin knew that he had never been so happy in all his life. And it was solely because of the man whose lips tasted so wonderful under his own. 

Both men were short of breath when they finally separated, but were still flashing brilliant smiles at one another. Justin stared into Brian’s dark eyes, his heart becoming filled to bursting when he saw a light in the older man’s eyes that was rarely there. A light that was normally only present was he was looking at Gus. 

It was love. 

Without a word, Brian grabbed hold of Justin’s hand and led him from the dance floor. As they raced across the room, the crowd cleared a path for them just as they had when the pair had stepped onto the dance floor. 

Brian didn’t stop at the dance floor. He continued on, out of the ballroom and towards a set of elevators. As they watched the people file out of the lift, and were treated to several strange looks by the patrons, the pair could do nothing but grin. When it was finally empty, Justin and Brian stumbled into the elevator. 

“Get over here, Boy Wonder,” Brian mumbled, sliding the scarf from his neck and flinging it whip-like around Justin throat. He held tight to both ends, using them to guide Justin towards him. 

“Where on earth did you learn to do that?” Justin demanded as he staggered in Brian’s direction, wrapping his arms about the older man’s shoulders. 

Brian pretended to look offended. “I am capable of doing a lot more than that limb flailing you’re so fond of at Babylon.” 

“So I can see,” Justin giggled, tilting his head back so that he could see Brian’s face better. “But you still didn’t answer my question.” 

“Lindsay made me take lessons with her in university,” Brian said, pressing his lips to the bridge of Justin’s nose in a soft kiss. “Never thought it would actually come in handy, though.” 

“Oh it definitely came in handy,” Justin mumbled against Brian’s chin. 

The elevator dinged open then and Justin draped the scarf about Brian’s shoulders once again, using it to drag Brian from the structure. Brian stumbled forward, grabbing hold of Justin’s hand and turned the teen around in a wide circle when he lost his grip on the scarf.. Justin kept up the motion, nearly causing them to crash into another couple, but neither man really cared. 

“And don’t forget who’s taking you home and in whose arms you’re gonna be,” the pair began to sing together, slipping back into their formal dance. 

Erupting into laughter, they circled around once again as they reached the Jeep. 

“Did you see their faces?” Justin demanded, pulling on Brian’s hand in an attempt to get him closer. 

Releasing Justin’s hand, Brain grabbed hold of the scarf and used that to pull Justin towards him. “Yeah. You gave them a prom they’ll never forget.” 

“Me either,” Justin mumbled, allowing Brian to pin him against the side of the Jeep. His emotions overcoming him, Justin practically sighed his next words. “It’s the best night of my life.” 

Brian snorted, wrapping the scarf around his hands and dragging the teen still closer. “Even if it was ridiculously romantic?” 

As Justin watched, Brian began to lean forward to kiss him. But he hesitated. Justin had never seen Brian hesitate in anything, but he was stumbling over as something as simple as a kiss. Meeting his lover’s eyes, Justin saw the uncertainty in them and smiled reassuringly. Brian returned his smile and leaned in a second time, their lips connecting in a very quick kiss. Justin nearly groaned out loud when Brian initiated the kiss a second time. This kiss was longer, both savoring the taste of the other’s lips. 

Tender as the kiss had been, Justin still felt completely breathless as he and Brian pulled apart. It had awakened a truckload of emotions in him that he had always repressed around the older man. Emotions that, for the first time ever, Justin believed there was the possibility of Brian returning. Even as Brian seemed to put a stopper on his emotions, Justin knew that they were still there despite Brian’s best attempts to hide them. 

His trademark smirk back in place, Brian wound the scarf around his hand and used it to guide Justin away from the Jeep. His eyes held the younger man’s, conveying a promise of things to come even as he uttered the one word that Justin really didn’t want to hear, “Later.” 

Instinctively knowing that he would see Brian later that night, after he brought Daphne home, Justin was able to return the same parting sentiment. “Later.” 

Knowing the word for the promise that it was, Justin started to laugh as he stepped away from Brian. He was forced to turn his body back towards the other man on account of the fact that their hands were still joined and Justin flashed Brian a huge smile. 

Spinning around completely, Justin headed back toward the elevator, the ends of the scarf clutched in his hands. He couldn’t believe how perfect the night had been. That Brian had actually shown up and that they had shared a wonderful dance that no one present would soon forget. His farewell “fuck you” to St. James Academy had turned out even better than he had dreamed it would. 

“Oh I know, that the music’s fine like sparkling wine,” Justin sang as he practically skipped through the parking garage. “Go and have your fun. Dance and sing, but while we’re--” 

“JUSTIN!” Brian roared, his voice filled with fear. 

Terrified that something was happening to his lover, Justin whirled around coming face to face with Chris Hobbs who was wielding a baseball bat. Acting instinctively, Justin raised his right arm, attempting to protect his face. He did it just in time. In the same second that he raised his arm, Chris brought the bat down. 

Justin screamed in agony as Chris struck him across the arm with the bat, the force of the blow breaking the bone instantly. In a state of shock, Justin cradled his arms against his chest as he slowly sunk to his knees before the larger man. Justin slowly lifted his head and stared at up Chris who had once again raised the bat over his shoulder. 

Before the other teen could attack him a second time, Chris was tackled to the ground by a larger person. Now that the immediate threat was gone, Justin rolled onto his side, clutching at the wrist of his injured arm. He could hear voices around him, but was unable to focus on them completely, aware only of the excruciating pain in his arm. 

Justin moaned as he was lifted off the ground and into a pair of arms. He recognized the arms as belonging to Brian and relaxed against the chest. It wasn’t enough for Justin, though. He needed to touch Brian as much as possible. Keeping his injured arm pressed tight against his chest, Justin shifted so that he was straddling Brian’s thighs, wrapping his left arm about the other man’s neck. Justin would have willingly disappeared inside of Brian if he could figure out a way to do it. 

Finally feeling safe, Justin couldn’t contain a whimper as he felt a pair of hands on his cheeks, pulling his head away from the safety of Brian’s throat. 

“It’s all right, Justin. It’s just me,” Brian murmured against his forehead. 

Relaxing slightly, Justin allowed Brian to lift his head the rest of the way so that their eyes met. He kept his eyes trained on Brian’s, focusing on them and tuning out the rest of the world. Justin didn’t want to think at all. To process the fact that Chris Hobbs had tried to kill him. The bat had been aimed at his head and if Brian hadn’t called out to him it would have connected. 

Despite his best attempts to keep those wretched thoughts away, Justin could feel them creeping up nonetheless. The fear that he could see in Brian’s eyes, along with the many unshed tears, did nothing to quell his own terror. 

“Come on, Justin, I need you to say something. You’re starting to scare me,” Brian said quietly, his lips so close to Justin’s that he could almost feel them moving against his own. 

“You saved me.” 

For reasons that Justin couldn’t figure out, at his words Brian shut his eyes and looked away. The dark-haired man’s entire body shuddered and Justin instinctively knew that Brian was swallowing his own sobs. Snaking his fingers into Brian’s hair at the nape of his neck, Justin forced Brian’s head up, startled by the tears now streaked down his cheeks. 

“This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t come to begin with,” Brian murmured as he slid his arms about Justin’s torso and hugged him tight. Aware of Justin’s broken arm, however, he didn’t squeeze tight enough to put any pressure on it. At that moment he wouldn’t have cared if Brian did hurt him. Justin wanted to stay in Brian’s arms forever. 

It was the one place he knew he was safe. 

“I wanted you to come. I wanted you here more than anything else and you came,” Justin said against Brian’s chest. 

“Oh my God! Justin, are you all right?” 

Turning his head towards the sound of his best friend’s voice, Justin watched almost disinterestedly as she fell to her knees beside him and Brian, ruining her dress. She reached out a hand to touch him and Justin instinctively shied away. Daphne had been his best friend for as long as he could remember and, at that moment, he couldn’t stand the thought of anyone but Brian touching him. It made him feel almost sick to his stomach. 

“Justin, what’s wrong?” Brian demanded, his voice on edge, almost bordering on panic. 

Unable to form the words, Justin clutched tightly at Brian’s shirt with his left hand. He once again buried his face against his lover’s chest, taking comfort from the feel of Brian’s fingers as they combed through his hair. 

By the time the ambulance arrived, Justin could almost make himself believe that he was all right. The ache from his arm had spread throughout his entire body, but he felt a lot less panicked than he had before. That changed as soon as he felt the unknown hands and voices trying to pry him away from Brian. Justin cried out, clutching at Brian with a whiteknuckled grip. 

“It’s all right, Justin,” Brian whispered in his ear as he ran a hand up and down the teen’s back. “They’re paramedics. They’re not going to hurt you.” 

“Don’t want them to touch me,” Justin practically sobbed, uncaring of how childish he sounded. 

Brian’s lips were against his temple as he spoke. “I can’t stop them, Justin. They need to take care of you. But I’ll be right there with you the entire time.” 

Justin lifted his head, struggling to focus his tear-filled eyes on the older man. “You promise?” 

“Promise,” Brian said without missing a beat. He then proceeded to brush his lips against the teen’s in the lightest of kisses. “I won’t leave you alone.” 

Even though he felt incredibly nauseous, Justin allowed the two paramedics to take him from Brian’s arms. Then his entire mind shut down. Justin didn’t allow himself to focus on anything but the feel of Brian’s fingers which were twined through his. He focused on the feel of them and of Brian’s thumb which was stroking the back of his hand. Nothing else in the world existed for Justin outside of that. 

Until they took Brian away from him. 

“Noooo,” Justin moaned, flailing his left arm about weakly in search of Brian’s hand. For some reason, Justin couldn’t get his eyes to open and that, plus the lack of Brian’s touch was freaking him out. 

“I’m right here, Justin.” Brian’s voice sounded very far away, as though he were on the other side of the parking garage. 

Then Justin felt a familiar touch under the material of his pants just above his right ankle. He would have preferred Brian to be closer, but, at that moment, Justin was simply relieved that the other man hadn’t been taken away from him completely. 

“Everything’s gonna be all right now,” Brian assured him. 

And Justin believed him completely. 

‘Cause don’t forget who’s taking you home  
And in whose arms you’re gonna be  
So, darlin’, save the last dance for me.


	2. Save the Last Dance

Never in a million years would he have thought it possible to be so completely terrified. As he sat next to Justin in the back of the ambulance, Brian began to tremble slightly. Before, in the parking garage, Brian’s main concern had been to keep Justin safe and make sure that he didn’t get hurt even more. Now that Justin was in capable hands, Brian was able to process what had happened. 

The night could have very well ended with him watching Justin die on the cold concrete of the parking garage. 

It was pure luck that the night hadn’t taken a more tragic turn. Brian had been so close to getting in his Jeep. He had nearly gotten in and driven away. But something had made him stop and watch Justin as he made his way back to the elevator. The teen had looked so beautiful even if all Brian could see of him was his back. 

In the next moment, Brian felt as though he had been punched in the gut when he saw the kid sneak up behind Justin with a bat. For several long seconds Brian was frozen to the spot, unable to react. Then he had done the only thing he could think of. He screamed Justin’s name as he sprinted towards the two teens. 

Then Hobbs had raised the bat and Brian was sure that his life was going to end. That Justin would be killed and he would have been too far away to stop it. 

“Brian....” 

Justin’s frightened whimper brought Brian screaming back to the present. Sliding forward on the uncomfortable metal bench, Brian put himself in Justin’s line of sight. 

“I’m still here,” Brian assured him, leaning forward to built a kiss against his forehead. “You holding up okay?” 

Reaching up, Justin slid his left hand to the back of Brian’s throat, clutching at the hair at the nape of his neck. “I just want to go to the loft.” 

“We’ll get there,” Brian promised him, pressing his lips against the younger man’s. “But it might take a little while. Daphne’s calling your mom, Deb and everyone else. Everyone who cares about you is gonna be there. It may take me a while to steal you away from the moms and the munchers.” 

“Going home with you no matter what,” Justin informed him, his eyes sliding shut as the sedative he’d been given by the paramedics pulled him back into oblivion. 

As much as he wanted that to be the case, Brian knew that Jennifer Taylor would have something different to say about it. Even though he had yet to speak to the woman, Brian knew that he was going to be blamed for what happened to Justin. Not that he would fault her logic. Brian would have had to been an idiot to realize that the only reason Hobbs had attacked Justin was because of his appearance at the prom. Had he stayed at home, Justin could have enjoyed himself with Daphne just like any other high school senior. 

The only problem was that Justin wasn’t a normal high school senior. And it wasn’t even the fact that he was gay that made Justin stand out. The artist did that all on his own. Brian didn’t think that Justin would ever back down from anything, something that he loved and admired about the teen. 

Yet at that moment, it was that very trait which had nearly gotten him killed. 

As Justin lost his hold on consciousness once again, his hand slipped from Brian’s throat. Before it could drop back onto the stretcher, Brian latched onto his hand, holding it tight between both of his own. The warmth of the younger man’s hand was comforting. It also lacked the lifelessness that he had noticed in Ted’s hand when the man was in the coma all those months ago. Every so often he could feel the blonde’s hand fluttering and clutching at his own. 

“He’s going to be fine,” the female paramedic in the back with them offered. She was young, no more than twenty-five, with bright eyes and an innocence that reminded him of Justin. “All things considered, he was lucky. I’ve seen what people can do with baseball bats. It could have been so much worse.” 

Brian let out a loud breath, pursing his lips. Though he could not admit the truth of what she said aloud, he knew that she was right. Brian had visions of the bat striking Justin’s skull, things that he would sure would lead to nightmares. More visions to plague his nighttime hours and lead him to avoid sleep. It wouldn’t be anything new. It had been years since Brian had gotten a good night’s sleep without the aid of drugs or alcohol. 

“The doctors will take care of his arm,” the young woman continued, smiling confidently as she adjusted the blanket that covered Justin to the middle of his chest. “That’ll be no problem. The two of you will have the hardest job of all. You have to deal with what happened. So don’t shut him out. Don’t let him shut you out, either. You’re going to need each other a lot to get through this.” 

Her words stayed with Brian when they arrived at the hospital a few minutes later. Keeping tight hold of Justin’s hand, Brian followed the stretcher out of the back of the ambulance. He kept a stern watch over the teen as the two paramedics guided the stretcher towards the emergency room where several nurses and a doctor waited for them. 

“You’ll have to go now,” the doctor told Brian absently as he and the nurses moved Justin from the ambulance stretcher to one of their own. 

Brian started to protest, but was guided from the room by the female paramedic before he could formulate a sentence. He was even more shocked by the fact that he didn’t even attempt to pull out of the woman’s grasp and force himself back into the room. Instead, he allowed her to guide him to a quiet corridor just past the noisy waiting room. 

“It’ll be fine,” she promised him, forcing him to sit on one of the benches. “In half an hour you’ll have him back, all nice and patched up. Then you can take him home and the two of you can deal with this in your own way.” 

Still, Brian was silent. He sat on the bench, almost in a state of shock and kept his eyes focused straight ahead. If he was lucky, maybe he could stop thinking altogether and not deal with what had happened. It was pointless to wish for such a thing, though. No matter how much he tried to fool himself, the image of Chris Hobbs with the bat would remain with him for a long time. 

Completely engrossed in his contemplation of the wall, Brian failed to notice when the paramedic left. What he could not ignore, however, was the arrival of Deb and Jennifer. 

“Brian, where’s Sunshine?” 

“What did you do to my son?” 

“Is he all right?” 

“What happened to my baby?” 

“Hun, are you all right?” 

The questions flew faster than he could answer them. The two mothers machine gunned questions at him, leaving him with not only no time to respond, but also feeling just as battered as though he had faced an actual machine gun with no protection. Their loud voices and frantic glares sent Brian deeper into himself and the images that he was trying so hard to avoid. 

“Brian, are you okay, kiddo?” Deb murmured, sitting next to him on the bench and gently turning his face towards her. 

“I shouldn’t have gone,” Brian whispered, speaking for the first time since he had promised Justin that they would get back to the loft that night. “I should have stayed at home and finished what I started last night.” 

Tearing his face from Deb’s grip, Brian returned his gaze to the blank wall before him. In his mind, he saw the last time he and Justin had been at the hospital together. The night Gus had been born. It was also the night he had first met the teen. They had run down this very hallway without a care in the world that night. 

“Hun, the police officer needs to talk to you,” Deb said, snapping him from his memories. 

Blinking his eyes owlishly, Brian stared up at the police officer. He stood slowly, carefully unfolding his body from its earlier slump. Long practice made it easy for Brian to shove his emotions aside and present a calm front to the outside world. 

“I need to take your statement, Mr. Kinney,” the police officer said to him, notepad in hand. “Would you like to do this here or outside?” 

“Here. I can’t.... I don’t want to go too far.” 

The officer nodded his head, acquiescing. “That’s understandable.” 

So, in a very straightforward, and almost mechanical manner, Brian told the officer exactly what he had seen happen that night. Everything from his arrival at the prom to his stepping into the ambulance with Justin. The only time he even came close to giving into his emotions was when he spoke of Hobbs sneaking up behind Justin with the bat. Those were moments that he never wanted to relive again even as he knew that those images would stay with him for a long time to come. 

Satisfied with Brian’s statement, the police officer left. For several long moments after, silence reigned in the hallway as none of its three occupants spoke. It was only broken when Lindsay and Melanie arrived with Gus, Ted and Emmett arriving less than a minute after them. 

Immediately, Lindsay enveloped Brian in a fierce hug. Very slowly, Brian allowed his arms to encircle her waist, taking what comfort he could from her. 

“He’s going to be just fine, Bri. You saved him,” Lindsay whispered in his ear as she ran her hands up and down his back in a soothing manner. 

Pulling away from her, Brian dropped his head. “No. I’m the reason it happened.” 

“I want you to leave,” Jennifer demanded in the silence that followed. “Justin has been hurt enough because of you and I want you to go before the doctor says we can see him.” 

“I may have hurt him, but I’m the one he needs most right now,” Brian said in his defense. “He’s scared to let anyone but me touch him.” 

“I’m his mother. Justin won’t be afraid of me,” Jennifer told him emphatically. “Hopefully this whole thing will have woken Justin up to what your life is really like and he can go back to being a normal teenager. Find someone his own age who won’t hurt him so much.” 

As much as it pained him to do so, Brian turned and strode towards the exit. He didn’t have it in him to fight Jennifer at that moment. Not when he knew she was right. If he hadn’t gone to the prom, Justin would still be having fun with Daphne. He would have been happy and, in the end, that was all that Brian really wanted for the teen. 

Before he even left the corridor, Brian could hear Ted and Emmett running to catch up with him. He didn’t slow his pace when he heard them nor did he speed up. They knew his temperament so the consequences would be solely on their heads. 

“Hey, Brian, do you want us to go get your Jeep?” Ted asked as soon as they were close enough. 

That was something Brian hadn’t thought of and instantly stopped in his tracks. “Yeah. I’m gonna need it to get home.... But I don’t want to go back there right now.” 

Emmett flashed him an understanding smile. “That’s what we figured. So how ‘bout handing your keys over to little ol’ me and I’ll go with Teddy to get it.” 

Wordlessly, Brian handed the other man the keys to his Jeep then continued on his journey. He didn’t really know where he was going only that he had no intentions of leaving the hospital grounds. Not only was he stranded because his Jeep was halfway across the city, but also because he couldn’t leave Justin completely. If he was truly honest with himself, Brian would admit that he was in love with the aspiring artist, but he wasn’t sure that he could admit to that just yet. He could barely even say it to himself. 

In the end, Brian settled for the side entrance of the hospital, just next to the emergency doors to take up his vigil. He wasn’t very far from Justin so he could get back to him quickly if he really needed to. If how Justin had been acting earlier was any indication, Brian was confident that Jennifer would find out just how wrong she was before long. Even though Brian would be glad to see the woman discover that she didn’t have all the answer concerning her son, he wasn’t about to let Justin suffer because of it. 

“You look like you could use one of these.” 

Though he shouldn’t have been, Brian was startled by the woman’s appearance. This time, however, she was dressed in her uniform. Instead, she was wearing a pair of well worn jeans and a dark green tanktop, her bright red hair tied back in a black bandanna. 

Taking her proffered cigarette, Brian slumped down next to her on the cement rail. Slipping it between his lips, he leaned forward so that she could light it. “What I really need is in a box in my nightstand.” 

She grinned over at him. “Sorry, mine are on the top shelf of my closet. So how’s your friend?” 

“Wouldn’t know,” Brian mumbled, releasing a mouthful of smoke in the process. “His mom kicked me out. Says that I’ve hurt him enough and that I need to leave him alone....” 

“But you love him and can’t let him go,” she finished for him. 

Brian snorted mirthlessly. “Pretty pathetic, isn’t it? Me and some blonde little twink. I must have fuckin’ lost my mind.” 

She shrugged her shoulders, grinning slightly after creating a small trail of smoke circles. “If you love him, it doesn’t really matter. There’s ten years between my husband and I. He’s thirty-six and I won’t even be twenty-six for another three weeks. My family has pretty much disowned me because of him... but I wouldn’t give him up for the world. So you don’t give him up either.” 

As if on cue, a horn blared from across the street. She glanced up with a huge grin on her face. 

“That’s my husband. I’ve gotta go,” she told him, handing the pack of cigarettes and lighter to Brian. “So you take care of him and let him take care of you.” 

After pressing a quick kiss to Brian’s cheek, she jogged over to red SUV parked across the street. A good looking man stepped out of the vehicle, catching her in his arms as soon as she was close enough. Brian watched them kiss, taking a puff of his nearly complete cigarette. She turned and waved at him before zipping around to the other side of the SUV and climbing in. 

Then Brian was alone once again with nothing but a few swirls of smoke to keep him company. He barely even acknowledged Emmett and Ted when they returned with his Jeep. The pair tried to talk him into returning inside, but he refused. As much as he wanted to be with Justin, he wasn’t going to go crawling before the teen’s mother. 

“But he needs you to be there,” Emmett protested, sitting down next to Brian on the rail. “Justin needs you and you know that he’d be in there with you no matter what.” 

Brian dropped the stub of his cigarette to the pavement between his feet, but said nothing. 

“Now is not the time to be stubborn, Brian,” Ted hissed, smacking the ad exec upside the head. “Justin could have been killed tonight and you’re out here sulking out here like a little kid. Grow up and get your ass in there.” 

“You tell him, Teddy!” Emmett cheered. 

Brian was not surprised by what Ted had said, but by the fact that he was the one who had said it. It was the last thing he would have expected from the quiet accountant. Still, it didn’t change his mind. He wasn’t going in there and groveling to Jennifer Taylor. Hell would have to freeze over first. 

“If Justin needs me I’ll be there. Until then let his mother take care of him,” Brian grumbled, reaching for another cigarette. “She seems to think that I don’t matter so let her go on believing that.” 

Finally aware that they weren’t going to get Brian to change his mind, the pair disappeared back into the hospital. As far as Brian was concerned they could have left a whole lot sooner. He didn’t want to talk, didn’t want to think. All that Brian wanted was for Justin to be all right. And for Chris Hobbs to be hit by a bus. 

Now, more than ever, Brian wished that he’d been wrong about the blonde jock. What he had said to Justin outside of Woody’s was only supposed to have been a warning. His way of telling Justin to be careful when it came to the other teen. All too late he realized just how prophetic his words had been. 

About halfway through his third cigarette, Brian saw a quick flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. It wasn’t the first speedy exit from the hospital there had been since he sat there, so Brian simply ignored it. 

However, when he heard a familiar voice sob his name, the cigarette slipped from his fingers and he all but scrambled to his feet. 

“Justin!” 

Seconds later, Brain found himself with an armful of terrified blonde teenager clinging to him. Justin had both arms around his neck, his left hand clutching at the back of Brian’s head. For his part, Brian was holding onto him just as tightly. Now that he had Justin back he had no intentions of letting him go again. 

“You weren’t there. Everyone was touching me and you weren’t there. My mom said you’d left, but I didn’t believe her. You promised you wouldn’t leave. So I went to find you. I had to find you,” Justin rambled as he clung to Brian, his tear-stained face buried against the older man’s throat. 

At about that time, Jennifer, Deb and the others came rushing out of the hospital, accompanied by several hospital attendants. Ignoring them, Brian turned his full attention onto the man in his arms. 

Brian pressed a kiss to the side of Justin’s head, close to his temple. “I’m right here, Justin. I’m not going anywhere.” 

Ever so slowly, Justin pulled his head away from Brian’s throat. His entire body was still trembling as he brought a hand up to the side of the ad exec’s face and Brian could clearly make out the tears that streaked his cheeks. Barely able to blink away his own tears, Brian pressed his forehead against Justin’s, trying to calm himself just breathing the same air as the teen. 

“Can we go back to the loft?” Justin pleaded, tilting his head upwards so that his lips brushed against Brian’s. 

Brian’s eyes slipped shut as he nodded his head. “Yeah, we’re going back to the loft. And we’re not leaving for the rest of the weekend.” 

“Not ever leaving the loft,” Justin insisted, shaking his head fervently. 

“Let’s just worry about getting home,” Brian offered, brushing his lips against the teen’s forehead. 

It wasn’t until they were halfway back to the loft that he realized that he’d referred to the place as Justin’s as well. Even more frightening was the fact that it had come so naturally. 

And that he didn’t really care.


	3. Save the Last Dance

Justin moaned at the feel of Brian’s lips against his temple. When he had awoken from his sedative induced slumber, all that Justin had wanted was to feel Brian’s skin against his own. He had wanted to be able to touch his lover and know that everything was really all right. That what had happened in the parking garage was really over and that he was safe. 

Instead, Brian hadn’t been there. 

In his place had been Justin’s mother, Debbie, Lindsay, Emmett, Ted, Melanie holding baby Gus, a doctor and a nurse. It felt as though they all swarmed in on him at once, crowding him and touching him. Justin had wanted to scream at them all and make them go away, but the nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach had made him keep his mouth closed. So he had flinched away from the probing hands, searching for a gap in the mass of bodies that surrounded his bed. 

His opening had come when Gus had gotten fussy and Melanie turned away to see what as wrong. Holding his broken arm against his chest, Justin had shot into a seated position and scrambled across the bed to where Melanie had been standing seconds before. 

Justin had heard the frantic shouts of his mother and Debbie and ignored them. He felt as though he were suffocating and needed to get out of there. So he had run, stumbling through the corridor in search of Brian. He didn’t really know where he was going or how far he had run, only that he needed to get to Brian. 

It had been a shock to Justin when he found himself outside. He had even noticed that he was outside until he felt the cold pavement under his bare feet. Glancing down at himself, Justin realized that he was still wearing his dress shirt and pants, the buttons on his right sleeve undone to accommodate the girth of his cast. 

Feeling a sense of panic overtaking him again, Justin had called out for his lover. He had been moments from sagging into the pavement when he heard Brian’s answering shout. 

Then he had bolted into Brian’s arms and the rest of the world had ceased to exist. 

“Let’s get you out of this,” Brian said quietly, his fingers dancing lightly across the buttons of Justin’s shirt. 

Justin stood motionless as Brian began unbuttoning his shirt. He kept his left hand on the older man’s hip, afraid to let go of him. His eyes, however, were locked on Brian’s face, keeping track of his expressions. There was something in his lover’s eyes that he couldn’t quite read and that worried Justin. 

“Are you made at me?” Justin forced himself to ask the other man, taking his bottom lip between his teeth. 

That got Brian’s attention right away. The ad exec’s head shot up, his eyes instantly finding Justin’s. “Why the hell would I be mad at you? You didn’t do anything wrong, Justin. Nothing. Don’t you dare let anybody tell you that you did ‘cause they’re wrong. Nothing that happened was your fault.” 

Blinking back tears, Justin nodded his head slightly. “But if I hadn’t gone this wouldn’t--” 

Before Justin could even finish his sentence, he was silenced by Brian’s lips pressing over his. With each subsequent kiss, Brian’s lips moved closer and closer to Justin’s ear. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You had every right to be there, Justin,” Brian whispered in his ear as he hugged the smaller man close. 

Justin silenced his protests, burying his face against Brian’s chest. He slowly wound his arms around his lover’s waist, inhaling the familiar scent of Brian’s cologne. If he didn’t have to move again, Justin wouldn’t have cared in the least except for the fact that he felt as though he were about to topple over. He gave a mumbled protest as Brian slid his shirt off, forcing Justin to release the older man’s waist. 

“You’re not sleeping in this shirt, Justin,” Brian said quietly in his ear. “I’m taking it off you then I’m throwing it and the pants in the trash. Mine too.” 

“But it’s a rental,” Justin mumbled, pulling his head back so that he could see Brian’s face. 

Brian snorted then brushed his lips against the teen’s forehead. “Then I’ll reimburse the store. As of tonight this fucking tux is trash.” 

Too tired and worn out to do much of anything, Justin allowed Brian to undress him completely. The only time he protested was when he felt his lover pull away. Forcing his eyes open, his eyes locking instantly on Brian who was standing a few feet away removing his own tux. 

“Bri....” Justin moaned, reaching towards the other man. 

Balling his shirt up and tossing it to the ground, Brain extended his hand and linked his fingers with Justin’s. “I’m right here, Justin. I’m not going anywhere,” he promised the teen, bringing their joined hands to his face and pressing a kiss to the inside of Justin’s wrist. 

Stumbling forward, Justin all but collapsed into Brian’s arms. Feeling Brian’s skin against his brought Justin a whole new sense of calm. He practically melted into the older man’s embrace, feeling tense muscles finally begin to relax. 

“I want you to lie down, Justin,” Brian murmured in his ear. “I’m just going to get rid of these clothes then I’ll be right back.” 

Justin shook his head, clutching at Brian with his left hand. “Just leave it. I don’t care about it. Please just stay here.” 

The conflict was visible on Brian’s face. The ad exec was torn between staying with Justin and getting rid of the remaining physical reminders of the prom. At that time, Justin really didn’t care about the clothes. All that he wanted was for Brian to stay with him. He didn’t want to be alone. Not even for a moment. 

Without a word, Brian guided Justin towards the bed. The artist crawled in gratefully, sinking into the soft mattress beneath him. Before he had even finished moving, Brian was climbing in behind him. Justin was relieved when Brian molded himself to his back, his lover’s arm draping across his waist and holding him tight. 

Then he felt Brian’s lips between his shoulder blades in a gentle kiss and knew that he would be able to fall asleep. 

“I love you, Justin.” 

Smiling for the first time since he had heard Brian scream his name in the parking garage, Justin drifted off to sleep. 

Oh I know that the music’s fine like sparkling wine, go and have your fun. Dance and sing, but while we’re-- 

JUSTIN! 

He went to turn and was met by a blinding flash of light. A pain radiated through his skull. Then it was dark and he was so cold. 

“... up. Justin, wake up.... Come on, Sonny Boy.” 

Justin awoke with a gasp, sucking air into his body in greedy lungfuls. As when he had fallen asleep, Brian was behind him; one hand gently rubbing his stomach, the other smoothing through his hair. Justin shifted, turning his body slightly so that he was facing Brian and could wrap his arms about the older man. He clutched tightly at Brian, unwilling to let him go even for a moment. 

“He was aiming for my head,” Justin mumbled in all seriousness. 

Brian held him tighter, pressing his lips against the younger man’s temple. “But he didn’t. He didn’t get the chance.” 

“But he could--” 

Justin was cut off in mid-sentence by Brian’s lips on his. He squeezed his eyes shut, snaking his fingers into Brian’s hair and clutching at the thick strands. Then his head was being tucked under Brian’s chin and he could no longer keep his eyes open. He moaned contentedly as Brian more or less wrapped his body around him. His exhaustion took over then he was asleep in a matter of minutes. 

This time Justin didn’t dream. At least not any dreams that he was conscious of. The last thing he remembered was Brian’s lips against his forehead. 

The second time he was pulled from sleep was by Brian’s startled cry. Before he even opened his eyes he was aware of the fact that Brian was no longer lying next to him. 

“Fucking pervert!” 

His father’s voice was the last thing Justin had expected to hear. By the time he got his eyes open, Justin was able to catch a quick movement just out of his line of sight. Turning his head, Justin watched as Brian stumbled down the stairs backwards, nearly falling as Craig stalked after him. 

“No....” Justin moaned, pushing himself up on his elbows. 

There was some yelling from the main part of the loft, but Justin couldn’t make out the words. But he did know the voices. Brian, his dad, Debbie and his mom. Their voices were loud, mixing together in a confusing mob. 

Justin scooted to the end of the bed and grabbed his pants from where they had fallen the night before. Because of the awkwardness of his cast, it took Justin a few moments to get into his pants. In fact, he was still struggling with the zipper as he staggered towards the steps that led down to the rest of the loft. 

“Justin and I didn’t do anything wrong!” Brian shouted, glaring at the other man, unmindful of the fact that he was completely naked. Justin could not think of another who was as comfortable in their own skin as Brian was. “He wanted me to go to his prom so I went. It’s not like we planned on that bastard Hobbs attacking Justin! If I could go back and keep that from happening, I would! I never want Justin hurt. Never.” 

“But he was hurt because of you,” Craig hissed, advancing a half step towards Brian. “He could have been killed because of you.” 

Taking a deep breath, Justin slowly walked down the steps. “Brian....” 

Instantly, all eyes were trained on him and Justin felt incredibly self conscious. It took every ounce of will power that he possessed to not turn and disappear back into the safety of the bedroom. To quell those fears, he kept his eyes on Brian’s face, momentarily pretending that the rest of the world didn’t exist. Once he had his breathing under control, Justin realized that Brian was standing right next to him, tenderly cupping his cheek in one hand. 

No words were spoken between them. At the same time, no words were even necessary. As he stared into his lover’s eyes, Justin reached out with his left hand and placed it on Brian’s hip, pulling him still closer so that they were standing a fraction of an inch apart. 

“Justin, get your stuff. You’re coming home now,” Craig ordered, his voice brooking no argument. 

At last, Justin turned his gaze from Brian and faced his father. 

“Craig, I think you should go now,” Jennifer said from the kitchen where she stood with Debbie. 

“I’m not leaving my son with this monster, Jen,” Craig insisted, glaring at his estranged spouse. “He should be at home. If you hadn’t given into his demands so easily, this wouldn’t have happened. We could have gotten him the help he needed.” 

Mustering his courage, Justin addressed his father. “I am home, Dad. This is where I belong. And I’m not going to change. I don’t need to.” 

Craig glared at his son. “This is just a phase, Justin. One that your mother has indulged far too long.” 

“It’s not a phase, Dad,” Justin insisted, his left hand fumbling for Brian’s. As soon as he found the other man’s hand, he held on tightly, gaining strength from the connection. “I love Brian and I’m not going to stop loving him just because you say I should. So you might as well just go home because I’m not going to change my mind.” 

At that moment, Jennifer chose to intervene more forcefully. She charged over to her soon-to-be ex-husband and latched onto his arm. “We’re leaving now, Craig. You have to get ready for that business trip and I need to go pick up Molly from my mother’s. Justin, sweety, I’ll call you later.” 

Jennifer more or less had to physically drag Craig from the loft when he became obvious that he wasn’t going to go willingly. Once the pair were gone, it left only Justin, Brian and Debbie, none of them speaking until they heard the elevator begin its descent. 

“All right, kiddo, as much as I love seeing your ass, I think you should go put some clothes on,” Debbie declared, breaking the near oppressive silence that had fallen. “Better yet, why don’t the two of you go grab a shower. You’ll have to grab a plastic bag or something to put on Sunshine’s arm so that the cast doesn’t get wet. Where do you keep your garbage bags at, Brian?” 

Even though he did his best not to flinch when Debbie came over with the white plastic bag, Justin couldn’t stop his body from tensing when she was close. Then Brian guided him back into the bedroom and he felt instantly better. He was only vaguely aware of Brian helping him out of his pants-- shouting for Debbie to get rid of them while they showered --then they were in the shower. 

“That was really brave of you,” Brian murmured as he wiped Justin’s wet hair from his eyes. He gently pulled the teen into his arms so that their were pressed together completely. 

As he wound his arms about Brian’s torso, Justin could feel his tears building up once again and did nothing to stop them. He sobbed against his lover’s chest, annoyed with the fact that it was plastic he felt under his right hand instead of Brian’s warm flesh. He cried for a good five minutes before lifting his head, squinting against the falling water so that he could make out Brian’s face. 

Smiling, Brian leaned down so that he could capture Justin’s lips with his own. It was little more than a meeting of lips and a mingling of breaths, but for Justin it was enough to ground him for the time being. 

Without words, Brian began to lather Justin’s body with a scentless, moisturizing body wash. Justin tried to return the favour, wanting to touch as much of Brian as possible, but the older man would always put him off. Taking hold of his hand and linking their fingers together while he slid his other hand behind Justin to reach his back. Brian’s lips against the side of his face, the quiet murmurs of nonsensical sentences kept Justin calm even when the sentences threatened to overwhelm him time and time again. 

Debbie was still in the kitchen when he and Brian ventured out of the bedroom a short while later. Dressed in a pair of sweats, t-shirt and a grey hooded sweatshirt that they found in a duffel bag sitting on the bed, Justin felt a great deal more in control than he had before. Still, he wasn’t ready to venture more than an arm’s length away from Brian. 

“You’re looking better already, Sunshine,” Debbie said cheerfully as Justin slid onto one of the stools at the counter. “Now I want you to eat everything on this plate. You hear me? And don’t you worry about your shifts at the diner. They’re all covered till the end of the week. After that, you can decide what you want to do.” 

Idly picking at the sandwich in front of him, Justin nodded his head. “Thanks, Deb.” 

Justin felt Brian’s lips against the back of his head then the older man was sitting next to him. 

Handing a second plate to Brian, Debbie quickly cleaned up the kitchen. “All right, I picked up some groceries for the two of you-- can’t have you living on take-out --and I put some of Sunshine’s clothes in the closet with yours, Brian. Justin, if there’s anything else you need from the house, you give me a call. What else..... Oh right! Lindsay wants you to call her to see if you still want her to bring Gus over tomorrow like you’d planned. I think that’s it. Yes. That’s it. So I’ll leave the two of you alone now. And, Brian, try to keep from fucking him for at least today. Poor Sunshine’s been traumatized and needs a chance to recuperate.” 

After ten minutes it became obvious that neither was interested in eating the food Debbie had prepared for them. It was only turkey sandwiches and lemon squares from the diner so Brian put them into the fridge so they could eat them later when they were actually hungry. 

Justin was already standing when Brain came back around the counter, not sure what direction he was going in. A part of him wanted to go lie down, but then he might fall asleep and end up dreaming. There was another part of him that wanted to go to the couch and watch something that didn’t require any thought. Then there was another part that was urging him to run. To run as far and as fast as he could before he collapsed. 

“I think I still have your ‘Yellow Submarine’ tape here if you wanna watch that,” Brian whispered in his ear as he pulled Justin into his arms. 

Leaving his right arm more or less hanging at his side, Justin wound his left arm about Brian’s shoulder, squeezing the back of his neck. “You hate that movie,” he mumbled in the older man’s ear. 

Brian brushed his lips against the corner of Justin’s jaw. “What can I say, it’s growing on me.” 

Moving his grip to the shoulder of Brian’s blue button-down shirt, Justin pulled his head back and smiled up at the ad exec. Justin’s smile grew further when Brian leaned down and placed a kiss on the bridge of his nose. 

“It does that after a while,” he told his lover just before pressing a kiss to the bottom of his chin. “You never stood a chance.” 

“No, I certainly didn’t.”


	4. Save the Last Dance

Without a doubt, Justin was the most resilient person that Brian had ever met. No one would have faulted the teen if he had chosen to remain away from school after the events at the prom. Yet, Sunday night, Justin was requesting that they made a trip to Deb’s in order to pick up his uniform for the next day. 

“You want to go to school?” Brian demanded, staring at Justin with undisguised shock. 

His eyes lowered to the ground, Justin nodded his head. “Yeah, I do. It’s not like I can stay in here forever.” 

“Don’t you think you’re pushing yourself a little?” Brian protested, placing a hand under Justin’s chin and slowly raising the younger man’s head. “You just got attacked on Friday. I’m sure no one expects you to be at school tomorrow.” 

“Which is why I have to go,” Justin insisted. “I want them to know that they can’t scare me away.” 

Brian had to give him credit for bravery. It took guts for him to want to face his tormentors after they so blatantly tried to dispose of him. True, Chris Hobbs had been expelled for his actions at the prom and wouldn’t be at St. James the following morning, but all of his friends would still be there. And Brian didn’t doubt for one moment that they would take their friend’s banishment out on Justin. 

However, he had known all along that Justin was courageous as they came and wouldn’t attempt to stop him from doing something he wanted to. Besides, if he was truly honest with himself he would admit that he was more concerned than Justin about what would happen at the high school. 

So, after dinner, the pair headed down to the Jeep and made the short trip to Deb and Vic’s home. 

The fact that Justin didn’t outwardly flinch when Deb pulled him into a hug was a vast improvement from the previous day. Still, he wasn’t exactly at ease and that worried Brian about how he would fare in the crowded classrooms. But Justin was determined and Brian wasn’t about to tell him he couldn’t do something. 

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Justin said as they drove back to the loft. “I’ll be fine.” 

Brian glanced at him quickly. “It’s not you that I’m worried about. It’s those pricks that inhabit your school.” 

“They’re not going to do anything after what happened Friday,” Justin insisted, trying for confidence even though Brian could clearly see how freaked out he was. 

“You still shouldn’t let your guard down,” Brian told him. 

That night as they laid in bed together, Brian held Justin as close as possible without actually pulling the teen inside of him. Never in a million years would Brian have conceived that he would be so worried about another person. Not even Mikey, whom he was suddenly realizing he hadn’t spoken to since the night of his private birthday celebration. 

Oddly enough, calling him hadn’t even crossed Brian’s mind. He had been so focused on Justin that he hadn’t even thought of calling Justin’s mother. It was Daphne who had taken the initiative to call Jennifer and get in touch with the others. Brian didn’t even know if Michael was aware of what had happened to Justin. Nor did he care for that matter. 

Whether or not Michael knew about the events of the prom ceased to matter all together when Brian was pulled from sleep by Justin’s frightened whimpers. 

“You’re safe, Justin,” Brian murmured in the blonde’s ear. He curled his body around the smaller man’s, his fingers lightly dancing over Justin’s skin. “Nothing’s gonna happen to you. Just relax. I’ll keep you safe.” 

Justin didn’t wake up completely, but he did turn himself in Brian’s arms, nestling his head under Brian’s chin. His muscles relaxed and Brian knew that his nightmare was over for the time being. It was these nighttime visions that Brian hated more than anything because he could do nothing to protect the teen. He was completely helpless and that was something Brian hated. 

So he did the only thing he could and held Justin while he rode out his nighttime terrors. After a while, Justin was sleeping deeply and Brian allowed himself to do the same. Unfortunately, it turned out, Justin wasn’t the only one suffering from nightmares. As he slept, Brian’s mind played out various alterations of the events in that dark parking garage. Changes that would leave Justin fighting for his life.... Or worse. 

It was a relief when the alarm went off in the morning because it meant an end to his nightmares. Reaching over Justin to shut off the alarm, Brian wasn’t the least bit surprised that the teen wasn’t woken by the incessant beeping Once he was asleep, the younger man slept like the dead until he was ready to wake up. 

“Time to wake up, sleeping beauty,” Brian mumbled, shaking Justin in order to speed his waking process. 

Justin mumbled something unintelligible and shifted away from Brian. 

Smiling, Brian rolled on top of Justin, hugging the blonde to him. “You have to wake up, Justin. If we’re going to get out of here on time we have to get up now. So get that bubble butt of yours in gear.” 

“Five more minutes,” Justin pleaded, snuggling deeper into Brian’s arms. 

“No more minutes,” Brian told him, releasing Justin and sliding out of the bed. “Get up now. It was your brilliant idea to get out into the real world today so you have to get up like the rest of us.” 

While they were getting ready, Brian could tell that Justin was nervous about his decision to go back to school so soon. He also knew that if he called the teen on it, Justin would get stubborn and insist on going just to prove Brian wrong. So he remained silent and waiting for Justin to come to a decision. 

Of course, knowing Justin the way he did, Brian wasn’t shocked when he found himself parked outside of St. James Academy. 

“This sounded like a much better idea at home,” Justin mumbled, dropping his head back against the head rest. 

Cutting the engine, Brian turned towards Justin. “We can still go back to the loft,” he reminded the teen, reaching across the distance that separated them to cup the back of his neck. 

Justin appeared to seriously consider Brian’s offer for a few minutes before shaking his head. “No. I’m gonna stay here. I’m fine.” 

Not believing Justin for one second, Brian reached past him and opened the glove compartment. After a few moments of searching, he found what he was looking for and turned to Justin, pushing up the already unbuttoned sleeve of the teen’s shirt. 

“My cell will be on all day unless I’m in a meeting,” Brian explained as he began writing a number on Justin’s cast. “So if you can’t get through to me on my cell, you call this number and Cynthia will come get me no matter what. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing. If you need me, call. I mean it, Justin.” 

“I’ll be fine,” Justin repeated, his eyes trained on the series of numbers. Deciding that he believed the words himself, Justin pulled his sleeve back down and turned to Brian. “I’ll be fine, Brian. I can do this.” 

“I know you can,” Brian agreed, once again sliding his hand behind Justin’s throat. Pulling the blonde’s face towards his, Brian leaned his forehead against the younger man’s. “You can still call me, though. It doesn’t mean you’re weak.” 

When Justin nodded his head, Brian tilted his head just enough so that he could capture the teen’s lips with his own. He could feel the tension bleeding out of Justin as their lips moved together tenderly, barely touching at all. 

“I needed that,” Justin moaned when their lips separated. His eyes were shut and he had a blissful expression on his face. 

“Figured you did,” Brian grinned, sitting back in his seat. Reaching into the seat behind him, Brian grabbed Justin’s backpack and pulled it into the front seat with them. “Call me at lunch.” 

“Yes, mom,” Justin teased, his ease returning. 

Before Justin could reach his left arm across his body to open the door, Brian grabbed hold of it, stopping his progress. Justin turned immediately, meeting his eyes. Indulging himself, Brian leaned forward and kissed Justin quickly, savouring the taste of the teen’s lips. 

“Love you,” Brian murmured against the artist’s cheek. 

“I love you too,” Justin returned automatically, his smile growing to one of his full-fledged Sunshine smile. 

Brian had noticed right away that Justin would smile like that whenever he would proclaim his love for the teen. After everything that had happened in the past few weeks-- his planned departure for New York, his 30th birthday and the prom --Justin needed reassurances about his feelings. And after it all, Brian found himself saying the words with more ease than he ever would have imagined. 

“Later,” Brian said instinctively as Justin climbed out of the Jeep. 

Turning back, Justin had an almost somber smile on his face. “Later.” 

Then Justin was walking towards the school with a confidence that Brian admired. He waited until Justin got into the building without any incident before starting the engine. Even though rationally he knew that Justin would be fine, physically if not emotionally, it didn’t stop him from worrying about the younger man. More than anything, Brian wanted him to be safe and that was not a guarantee within the walls of the private school. 

About a block and a half from the school, Brian’s cell phone began to ring. Before he even fished it out of his jacket pocket, he knew who the caller was. 

“That didn’t take long,” Brian said, nothing bothering to hide his mirth. 

“Daphne’s not here and I need someone to talk to,” was Justin’s excuse for calling him so soon. 

Brian smirked, knowing that Justin was lying but was not about to call him on it. “I thought you were going to call her and have her meet you there.” 

Justin chuckled quietly. “Daphne’s never on time. One time I had--” 

When Justin stopped talking in mid-sentence, Brian felt a huge sense of dread wash over him. He couldn’t stand being so far away without knowing what was wrong or if Justin was in trouble. After what had happened Friday, Brian honestly didn’t want to let the teen out of his sight. But he wasn’t about to smother the kid. 

Which meant he was driving in the other fucking direction. 

“Justin, what’s going on?” Brian demanded, checking traffic to make sure he could do a U-turn without crashing into anyone. 

Justin’s laughter caught him completely off guard. 

“Justin?” Brian questioned a second time, having put off his U-turn for the time being. 

“They’re fucking applauding me,” was not what Brian had expected to hear. Justin must have taken the phone away from his ear for a moment because then Brian could hear the clapping. “Can you believe it?” 

“Looks like the Boy Wonder has become a regular celebrity,” Brian teased, relieved that Justin was having such a positive experience upon his return to the school. “Don’t let it go to your head, though.” 

“There wouldn’t be enough room in the loft with your ego already so big,” Justin shot back automatically. “We’d both suffocate from lack of oxygen.” 

Brian couldn’t stop the grin that appeared on his face even though he was the butt of the teen’s joke. “Someone’s certainly feeling better.” 

“Thanks to you.” 

“Knock ‘em dead, Sonny Boy,” Brian instructed the teen, turning his Jeep into the heart of Pittsburgh. 

By then Daphne had arrived and the pair ended their conversation. Before he even had the phone back in his pocket, Brian was already turning his mind towards business. Even though he had originally planned to spend the day with Justin locked away in the loft, he would not allow that desire to rule his day. So he pushed it to the side and focused his mind on business and the newest project he was working on. There was no way he could spend the entire day worrying about Justin. Not that he really thought he needed to. Justin was as strong as they came and would be fine. So Brian allowed his business persona to take over, pushing all his emotions to the side. 

“You’re actually at work today,” Cynthia said in shock as Brian walked past her desk on his way to his office. 

“Why wouldn’t I be here today?” Brian demanded, tossing his briefcase on the desk before removing his jacket. “I come in here every other weekday, weekends too sometimes. Why should today be any different?” 

Waiting for Brian to sit down, Cynthia placed a copy of the morning paper in front of him. Apparently the events of the prom and what followed and occurred too late to be published in the Saturday morning edition so there, in living colour, was a picture of himself and Justin holding each other in front of the hospital. Justin below that was a yearbook picture of Chris Hobbs and an article detailing the prom and the subsequent attack. 

“It’s been all over the news too,” Cynthia supplied. 

Groaning, Brian dropped his head onto the back of his chair. He and Justin had more or less ignored the outside world over the weekend, neither reading the paper or watching the news, not wanting to see themselves. Now that they had left the safety of the loft that was no longer possible. 

“How has Justin been treated in all this shit?” Brian asked, not wanting to read the article. 

“Hobbs is the bad guy in all of this,” Cynthia was quick to assure him. “Nothing bad was written about Justin. Or you beyond the fact that you’re twelve years older than him.” 

The only thing that Brian really cared about was that Justin wasn’t being blamed for what had happened. It surprised him actually. The cynical part of his nature had expected the press to turn it around and blame Justin for what happened. The world at large had never been kind to those who were different and stood for themselves, uncaring of what others thought. It was how Brian lived his life and he was aware of the changes in Justin that was sending the teen down the same path. The only problem was that Justin was still too innocent and trusting to get away with it. 

“So how is Justin?” Cynthia inquired, taking the seat across from Brian’s desk. 

Despite himself, Brian could feel the smile tilting up the corners of his mouth. “Fully on his way back to his normal annoying self. He decided that he wanted to go to school today so I had to drag my ass here.” Then Brian went completely serious, staring directly at his secretary. “I gave him my extension here in case I have my cell off. So if he calls, I want you to come and get me no matter what. I don’t care what I’m doing at the time, if Justin calls, I’m talking to him.” 

Cynthia agreed right away then went over Brian’s schedule with him. There were only two meetings that would take Brian out of his office for any length of time, one of which wouldn’t require him to turn off his cell phone. 

Then Cynthia left and he was alone in his office. Ignoring the copy that was sitting on his desk, awaiting his approval, Brian found himself reaching for the newspaper Cynthia had left behind. His eyes were drawn automatically to the picture of him and Justin. For all the time he had spent outside the hospital that night, Brian hadn’t noticed any media persons or even any one with a camera. Of course there wasn’t much of that night he could clearly remember following Hobbs’ attack. He had been on autopilot, doing whatever he could to keep Justin safe from further harm be it physical or emotional. 

Against his will, Brian started to read the article, reliving the events through an outsider’s point of view. When he came across a statement from Senator Baxter, Brian knew that was the reason Justin hadn’t been blamed; that he had flaunted his older lover in the faces of the other teens at St. James and got what was coming to him. 

“Brian, you’ve got a call on line one,” Cynthia’s voice said over the intercom later, interrupting his meeting with Bob and Brad. 

Since his cell was still on, Brian knew that it wasn’t Justin calling him. That left only one person. 

“Honeymoon over already?” Brian taunted, waving Brad and Bob away. “I didn’t think you’d be contacting the outside world for the rest of the week.” 

“Why the fuck didn’t you call me?” Michael demanded furiously. “You should have called me.” 

Brian rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair. “Did you ever think that maybe I had other things on my mind? Justin maybe?” 

“You should have called me. I had a right to know,” Michael insisted, his voice taking on the whining tone that normally caused Brian to tune the other man out. 

“How the fuck do you figure? You don’t even like Justin,” Brian pointed out, barely resisting the urge to hang up on his friend. “Aren’t you even going to ask how Justin is?” 

Michael huffed loudly, clearly feeling put off. “My mother said that he was fine. That he just had a broken arm. It’s not like it’s a big deal.” 

“If it’s not such a big deal, why are you so upset?” Brian asked, wondering not for the first time, how Michael’s logic worked. “We shouldn’t even be having this conversation. So I am going to hang up now and you are going to think about how fucked up you’re being.” 

“I am not,” Michael insisted in a shrill voice. 

“Oh you’re not?” Brian echoed incredulously. “Do you even realize what happened Friday? Someone tried to kill Justin. If I hadn’t been watching him or called out to him in time, that bastard would have hit him over the head with a baseball bat. Do you have any idea what it’s like to know that someone wants to kill you? No matter what the outwards appearances are, Justin is not fine. He’s not some comic book character who bounces back from certain death at the turn of a page. Justin is an actual person and if I was more concerned about him than your moving across the country with Dr. Dave so be it.” 

“Bri--” 

“Fuck off,” Brian hissed, slamming the phone down. 

Breathing heavily, Brian glared at the phone. He could not believe that Michael was so naive. The other man was acting as though what had happened at the prom had been of no consequence whatsoever. That Chris Hobbs would try to kill Justin and just because he only ended up with a broken arm that it didn’t matter. 

On edge from his conversation with Michael, Brian had to resist the urge to call Justin in school. The fact that he would have been in class at the time didn’t deter him in the least. Brian only wanted to hear Justin’s voice so that he could determine for himself who the teen was faring back at St. James after what had happened Friday night. The only thing actually stopping him was the fact that it was eleven-thirty and Justin would be calling around noon. 

However, by the time noon rolled around, Brian was so involved in fixing the disaster that Bob and Brad thought could pass for a mock up that he didn’t even realize the time. He had entered sort of a creative haze and nearly jumped out of his seat when his cell phone rang a few minutes after noon. 

“So how’s the high school celebrity holding up?” Brian asked as he brought the phone to his ear. “Sign any autographs yet?” 

Justin chuckled quietly. “I’m fine. Just like I told you I’d be.” 

Brian knew that the younger man was lying right away. Despite his quiet laughter, Brian could tell that he was far from fine. Justin had yet to realize that he was a terrible liar and in this case it was working to Brian’s advantage. 

“The truth please,” Brian prompted, rising from his desk and heading over to the chaise lounge in the corner of his office. It was identical to the one he had in the loft and had proved to be a comfortable nap spot on many a late night. 

“It’s not bad,” Justin tried a second time. “I’m not freaking out or anything. I just....” 

“I’m coming to get you,” Brian declared, halting just before he sat down on the chaise. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” 

“No you won’t,” Justin told him, his voice more forceful than it had been moments before. 

Brian started, finally dropping onto the black chair. “Oh I won’t? Justin, if you don’t want to be there you don’t have to. I’ll come and get you then we’ll head back to the loft.” 

“Really, Brian, I don’t want you to come and get me. I’ll be done in two and a half hours anyway,” Justin assured him the older man. “Come and get me then and not a moment sooner.” 

“Let me talk to Daphne,” Brian ordered, hoping that he could find a co-conspirator in the young woman. 

There was some rustling as the phone was passed from one teen to the other. 

“Hey, Brian,” Daphne chirped, her voice a vast contrast from her best friend’s. 

“How is he really?” was Brian’s immediate question. 

There was a brief pause before Daphne finally answered. “Justin’s coping. He’s not doing great but he’s getting through it which is important.” 

Given the circumstances, Brian knew that what Daphne was saying was the truth. He couldn’t expect Justin to be at ease after what had happened just three days earlier. It was unfair of him to even demand it of the teen. It was like he had told Michael, Justin had a lot to deal with and was far from being fine. 

“See, even Daphne says that I’m doing all right,” Justin said a few moments later, having regained possession of the phone from his best friend. “I’ll be done in a few hours then you can come get me and we’ll go back to the loft.” 

“I’ll see you at two-thirty,” Brian conceded. 

“I love you.” 

“Love you too.” 

The pair ended their conversation then and Brian felt his worry returning once again. He didn’t like not knowing what was going on at the school. It just didn’t sit right with him. St. James had never done anything to protect Justin in the past and Brian didn’t doubt for one instant that their policy hadn’t changed since before the prom. But there was nothing that he could do and that angered Brian more than anything else. He didn’t like to be helpless in any situation, especially not when it effected someone that he cared about. 

Still, there wasn’t anything he could do and Brian had to resign himself to that fact and go on with his day. 

Twenty minutes later, he was in Ryder’s office listening to the older man rant about the latest disaster perpetrated by the Fuck-Up Twins and what Brian planned to do to remedy the situation. Most of it Brian simply tuned out, knowing that Ryder didn’t actually expect an answer from him at that point. It was only after Ryder had finally fallen silent that Brian began to respond, assuring his boss that he had everything under control. 

“... the rep won’t be here until next Tuesday, Marty. That is more than enough time to turn their fuck-up into something presentable,” Brian told his boss. “The foundation is there. I just need to fix everything else.” 

“Well you’d better fix it, Kinney. This is a damn important account and--” Ryder cut off in mid-rant, glaring in the direction of the door. “This had better be important.” 

By this time, Brian had already turned around was spotted Cynthia hovering in the doorway. It was taking everything in him not to react outwardly to her appearance because if she was interrupting his meeting with Ryder it meant that Justin had called. 

“I’m sorry, sir, but there’s an emergency and Brian’s family needs him right away,” Cynthia said to the two men, her words and calm demeanour belying the seriousness of the situation. 

“We’re done here, Kinney, but you’d better make sure you fix that mess,” Ryder grumbled, dismissing Brian. 

Before the words were even out of the other man’s mouth, Brian was on his feet and heading for the door. The ad exec didn’t know what could have happened in the half hour since he had last spoken to Justin, but it had to be serious if Justin was actually calling him instead of trying to deal with it on his own. 

“Justin and Daphne are in your office,” Cynthia said as soon as Brian joined her in the hallway. “I didn’t get exactly what had happened, but Justin was really freaked out.” 

“Shit,” Brian cursed under his breath, speeding up his pace. 

From that point on, Brian walked as fast as he could without actually running. For what felt like the millionth time in only the past few days, Brian had been unable to keep Justin safe and he hated it. Hated not being able to do anything to keep Justin from being hurt. All that he could do was deal with things after the fact and hope that he could put Justin back together when all was said and done. 

“Justin,” Brian called as he burst into his office. 

Their eyes met for a fraction of a second before the teen was wrapped up in his arms. Brian held onto Justin as tight as he could, willing the trembling he felt in the teen’s body to fade away. Something had obviously freaked Justin out, but what that was remained a mystery. 

“Hobbs was at school,” Daphne announced, answering the question that Brian had been about to ask. 

In that moment, Brian felt his anger expand to epic proportions. “What the fuck was Hobbs doing there? I thought he was expelled!” 

“He was there to empty out his locker,” Daphne informed him. A proud, if somewhat somber, smile appeared on her face then. “Justin held it together in front of that prick and his cronies. He didn’t let them intimidate him.... But it was too soon and he needed to see you. So here we are.” 

“Thanks, Daphne,” Brian said with all sincerity as he pressed his cheek against the top of Justin’s head. 

Having received his explanation, Brian turned his whole focus onto Justin. Keeping his arms wrapped around Justin’s trembling form, Brian guided Justin deeper into his office towards the chaise lounge. He wanted to get the blonde more relaxed before going home because Brian knew that he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on driving with Justin in the state he was in. Besides that, Brian didn’t think that he would be able to convince Justin to let go of him right then. 

It took some careful maneuvering, but soon Brian was reclined on the chaise lounge with Justin curled against his chest. The teen was straddling his waist, his feet dangling on the ground and his head snuggled under Brian’s chin. Brian pressed a kiss to the top of Justin’s head, holding the smaller man as close as possible. He didn’t know exactly what had happened between Justin and Hobbs, not that it really mattered. The only thing of consequence was the fact that Justin and Hobbs had crossed paths so soon after what had happened in the parking garage. 

“You tried your best, Justin,” Brian murmured against the top of the blonde’s head. “Hell, you did more than anyone would have expected of you.” 

Justin said nothing, instead clutching at Brian’s shirt with his left hand. 

Knowing that his words didn’t matter quite so much as his actions right then, Brian began smoothing his left hand up and down Justin’s back, his right massaging the tense muscles at the back of his neck. He felt the tension begin to bleed out of Justin’s body after a few moments and it wasn’t long before the teen had drifted into an exhausted sleep. The day had been incredibly taxing psychologically for the younger man and Brian wasn’t the least bit surprised that Justin was asleep within five minutes of Cynthia and Daphne leaving the office. 

“You’re one tough shit, Sonny Boy,” Brian informed the sleeping artist, pressing a kiss to the top of his bright head.


	5. Save the Last Dance

“Gentlemen and twinks, boys and boytoys!” Sheeba, Queen of Babylon, called from a platform, seated elegantly on the back of a go go dancer who was crouched on his hands and knees. “After far too long an absence, our king and his consort have returned to rule over their kingdom! All hail Justin and Brian, the royal couple of Liberty Avenue!” 

The entire throbbing mass of dancers burst into cheers as Justin and Brian found themselves centered out by several blue spotlights. 

Almost instantly, Justin could feel his cheeks heating up as all the men in Babylon turned their attention on him and Brian. He hadn’t even thought that anyone would take notice of his and Brian’s venture out to the dance club. There were always so many people crowding the dance floor that he had expected their presence to go unnoticed. It was what he had hoped for anyway. Even two an a half weeks after the attack, Justin still wasn’t completely comfortable around crowds. At least not the type of crowd that Babylon produced. 

“I’m not a fucking consort,” Brian grumbled as Emmett bounced around them cheering and clapping. 

The ecstatic queen smacked Brian’s arm. “Now is not the time to sulk. Tonight is a night to celebrate! So now the king and his consort,” Emmett looked directly at Brian as he said that, “are going to dance and enjoy the night.” 

“What do you say, Sonny Boy? Wanna make ‘em all hot and bothered?” Brian murmured in Justin’s ear, pulling the teen against his chest. 

Justin glanced at Brian over his shoulder, a grin plastered on his face. “Even you can’t take all of them into the back room.” 

That got a laugh out of Emmett, Ted, Lindsay, Melanie and Daphne who had all begun moving in time with the music blaring over the sound system. Justin caught sight of a broad grin on Brian’s face just before the ad exec buried his face against his throat., pressing several open mouthed kisses against his flesh. 

“Save it for the bedroom, you two,” Melanie taunted from somewhere off to their right. 

“Oh, I don’t know. I think most of the people in here wouldn’t mind seeing them go at it,” Ted protested, earning a laugh from the others. 

“Well they’re not going to get the privilege tonight so they’re just going to have to use their imaginations,” Brian informed the accountant. 

That got a laugh out of everyone. Smirking, Justin slapped Brian’s hands which were clasped over his stomach. It was never a good idea to encourage Brian. Half of the time he would do what you wanted just to prove a point. The rest of the time he would go to an extreme. Also to prove a point. There was, quite honestly, no winning with Brian which was why it was safest to leave him alone. 

“Let’s go, old man,” Justin said, pulling out of Brian’s arms and heading towards the dance floor without a backwards glance. 

Justin began to dance without a care in the world, losing himself in the music not even knowing whether Brian was with him or not. Once he got into the music, it wouldn’t really matter whether Brian was there or not. He wouldn’t even notice anyone. It was always the case, at least that’s what everyone accused him of. 

Of course, Brian’s lips on the nape of his neck always brought him back to the present. 

“It’s not nice to ditch your date,” Brian murmured in his ear as he pressed his body up against him from behind. 

“Oh I have a date, do I?” Justin laughed, turning around in Brian’s arms so that he was facing the other man. “I thought you didn’t do dates.” 

“I don’t,” Brian confirmed, pressing his body against the teen’s as both of them moved with the music. 

Draping his left arm across his lover’s shoulders, Justin moved his face closer to Brian’s. “You just do me, right?” 

“I think you’re finally getting it,” Brian grinned back, capturing the artist’s lips with his own. 

Justin moaned into Brian’s mouth. It was an automatic reaction. Not matter how often he kissed Brian, Justin always found himself moaning at some point during the kiss, usually the beginning. Emmett called it a mouth orgasm. There wasn’t a more true way to describe kissing Brian. Their lips could be the only parts of their bodies in contact, but Justin could still feel it in every part of his body. It was like an electrical tingle that started where Brian’s lips came in contact with his skin that only grew in intensity as it spread to his extremities. 

Feeling a body press up against his from behind, Justin pulled his face away from Brian’s and turned his head to see who was back there. Seeing a face that he did not recognize, Justin instantly tensed. While he could stand being in crowds, Justin still felt uneasy when unknown people got too close. 

“Back off, asshole,” Brian growled at the unknown dancer. 

The stranger pulled away without a word, leaving Brian and Justin in peace. 

“Let’s go get something to drink,” Brian murmured against the side of Justin’s head, already leading him off the dance floor. 

Justin followed beside Brian, his body pressed tight against the taller man’s. 

“Now, now, now,” Justin heard Sheeba’s voice over the booming music. “Tonight king and consort are off limits to one and all. Except to each other, that is.” 

Smiling in Sheeba’s direction, Justin continued to follow after Brian as they made their way to the bar where Emmett and Ted had already taken up residence. Daphne, Lindsay and Melanie, however, were no longer in sight. Justin scanned the nearby vicinity, but could fine no trace of the three women. 

“Mel and Lindz had to go relieve the sitter and Daphne went with them,” Ted explained, answering Justin’s unasked question. 

“Oh,” Justin mumbled, upset that they had left after only half an hour. Considering the location, he could fault them for bailing so soon. Had they been in the dyke version of Babylon he would have left too. 

“Daphne says she’ll see you at graduation on Saturday and the muncher mommies want you to go visit Gus tomorrow afternoon,” Emmett continued, taking a sip of his cosmopolitan. 

“You guys are all coming Saturday, right?” Justin asked the pair, trying not to sound too hopeful. 

Ted and Emmett didn’t hesitate before reassuring him that they would be there front row center cheering him on. The words were no sooner out of the Mississippian’s mouth than he was going on about what he was going to wear to the ceremony. As soon as they heard mention of purple leather pants both Justin and Ted groaned. 

By that time, Brian was returning with drinks for the two of them and Justin turned to him pleadingly. “Please don’t let Emmett wear purple leather pants to my graduation.” 

The ad exec managed to keep a straight face for all of two seconds before cracking a smile. “I don’t know. I think Emmett could pull that look off easily.” 

“See! Thank you, Brian,” Emmett chirped happily, raising his glass to the hazel-eyed man in a toast. 

The other two men whimpered and Justin made sure to smack Brian in the chest. The blonde could just imagine the crowd that would be gathered for him at the ceremony. Brian, being Brian, would be decked out in either Armani, Gucci, Prada or any combination of the three plus others. Next to the ad exec, Ted would be practically invisible in one of his typical bland suits while Emmett, on the other hand, would be the most noticeable person in the auditorium with the possible exception of Debbie. Justin didn’t even want to think about what brightly coloured outfit the waitress would have on. 

“No brooding, Michaelangelo,” Brian taunted, handing Justin his drink. “We are here to have fun and celebrate so fucking well act like it.” 

“The royal consort has spoken,” Ted mumbled into his beer bottle. 

“And fuck the royal consort shit,” Brian growled, shooting the accountant an evil glare. 

“Someone’s testy,” Emmett taunted, earning a grin from everyone but Brian. 

Handing his half-finished drink to Ted, Justin slid his arm through Brian’s and led the older man back out to the dance floor. Having spent the past two and a half weeks away from the club, Justin had more than enough energy to use up and didn’t want to spend it arguing at the bar. He would rather spend it making the rest of Babylon jealous of the two of them and blowing off some steam. 

It was definitely a much more enjoyable task which left him wonderfully exhausted when he and Brian finally returned to the loft several hours later. 

“I missed that,” Justin mumbled as he stumbled into the loft, supported mostly by Brian’s arm about his waist. 

Brian laughed loudly as he led Justin toward the bedroom. “What, you missed making a spectacle of yourself on the dance floor?” 

“I missed dancing,” Justin said wistfully, leaning back against Brian’s chest. 

“We’ve danced here all the time over the past few weeks,” Brian reminded him. 

Justin shook his head and waggled a finger admonishingly. “Not the same. There’s no hordes of people or pulsating music or go go boys or cool lights... except for the ones above the bed.” 

“You’re making me regret buying you alcohol,” Brian informed him as he carefully guided the teen up the stairs that led into the bedroom. 

“But I’m not drunk,” Justin protested, pulling away from Brian and standing on his own to prove his point. “I just feel more relaxed than I have in.... I don’t know how long, but it feels wonderful.” 

“You are so drunk,” Brian taunted, slipping his fingers under the hem of Justin’s shirt, his fingers dancing over the artist’s skin. 

Justin stood perfectly still as Brian slowly removed his t-shirt, allowing the other man to direct his every movement. When he attempted to let his hands drop back down to his sides after Brian pulled the shirt from his body, the taller man held his arms in place, bent over his head. Feeling Brian’s lips on the side of his throat, Justin willingly gave up control to the other man. 

His lips moving up Justin’s throat to the sensitive spot behind his ear, Brian began to slide his hands up Justin’s arms. He could feel the taller man hesitate when he came to the area where his right forearm was covered with the cast. It didn’t deter Brian in the least, though. Brian continued to slide his hands up Justin’s arms until their fingers became locked. Keeping their fingers entwined, Brian finally allowed Justin to lower his arms, crossing both their arms over the teen’s chest. 

“You are one brave shit,” Brian said quietly, his breath warm against Justin’s temple. “Don’t ever let anyone try to change that about you.” 

Still not speaking, Justin nodded his head. His eyes had fallen shut by this point as he reveled in Brian’s touch as the older man released his hands and began exploring his body with his fingertips. There was something incredibly addictive about the reverent way Brian would glide his hands over Justin’s pale skin. So caught up in the feel of Brian’s fingers sliding over his body, Justin was only half aware of it as his lover guided him over to the bed. He obediently lowered himself onto his stomach, moaning at the loss of contact when Brian stood back up. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” Brian assured him, the nearness of his voice comforting Justin immediately. There was a rustling of fabric accompanied by two dull thuds, letting the artist know that his partner was merely stripping out of his clothes. “Lift your hips.” 

Doing as instructed, Justin lifted his hips and instantly felt Brian’s hands slid across his waistband in search of the button fastening his jeans. In no time at all, his clothing had joined Brian’s scattered across the room and Justin relaxed even further, all but melting into the mattress. 

“Don’t fall asleep on me,” Brian chided moments before trailing his tongue up the teen’s spine, causing Justin to shudder. 

The artist gave a mumbled response, unable to form a complete word at that time. His coherence didn’t improve any when Brian began placing soft, open-mouthed kisses haphazardly across his back. There was no pattern to it. In the space of a kiss, Brian could move from between his shoulder blades to the small of his back. 

Justin felt the mattress shift under him as Brian crawled onto the bed, whispering for the smaller man to move more towards the center of the bed. Lifting himself up on his elbows, Justin scooted forward, moaning when he felt the warm skin of Brian’s chest brush against his back. 

Then Brian was lying sprawled across his back, their bodies pressed together tightly thanks to the wonderful force known as gravity. And arousal, the evidence of which Justin could feel against his right thigh. His own arousal was also becoming much more evident and he shifted a bit to make himself more comfortable. Knowing Brian the way he did, he would have to get comfortable since the older man was liable to make this last quite a while. 

That became blatantly obvious when Brian once again began plying his skin with kisses and the occasional swirl of his tongue. 

“You’re evil,” Justin moaned after Brian spent a good five minutes alone focusing his attention on his left hip alone. 

Brian chuckled against his skin and pressed a lingering kiss to his hip. “Thought you knew that already,” he teased, lightly nipping at Justin’s skin before getting back to what he had been doing before. 

Justin could only moan and drop his head back onto the mattress as Brian slowly made his way towards the crack of his ass. The teen attempted to roll onto his back so that he could touch the older man, but was immediately stopped by Brian who clutched at his wriggling hips. Justin whimpered pitifully as he gave himself over to the torture that was to follow. 

His lover didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t long before Brian was attacking Justin’s ass hole with his lips and tongue, leaving the young artist writhing and moaning continuously. 

“Brian....” Justin pleaded, twisting the duvet in his hands. 

Brian’s tongue lingered over his perineum for a moment before lifting his head. “Yes, your majesty?” 

“I want you inside me.” 

The sound of foil being torn was like music to Justin’s ears. Brian had been so gentle and careful with him since the attack that Justin was beginning to fear that their all night fuck sessions were a thing of the past. While anything more than kissing and innocent caresses had made him nervous the first few days after the prom, Justin had felt infinitely better emotionally after having faced off against Hobbs and survived his first day back at school. 

Justin sighed contentedly when he felt Brian’s lubed fingers probing him. He rolled over onto his right side, freeing his cock from its prison between the duvet and his stomach. Brian scissored his index and middle fingers, stretching his opening, bringing a ragged grasp from deep inside Justin’s chest as he arched against the older man. 

“Calm down,” Brian murmured in his ear as he withdrew his fingers brining another moan from the teen. “Hold your horses, majesty, I’m getting there.” 

Then Brian was sliding inside of him and Justin felt as though every nerve in his body was on fire. He lost all ability of coherent thought in that moment, aware of nothing but the intense sensations overtaking his body. 

Brian’s hand on his hip. 

His cock filling him, stretching him so wonderfully. 

His lover’s chest pressed tight against his back. 

Warm breath panted against the side of his face. 

With no small amount of effort, Justin lifted his left arm. He moved sluggishly, but was eventually his searching fingers caught a few stray strands of Brian’s hair. Following them, he cupped the side of his partner’s face and turned his head in search of Brian’s lips. Focusing his eyes on Brian’s moist lips, Justin caught sight of the slight grin tilting the corners of Brian’s mouth just before their lips joined in a slow, languid kiss. 

“I want you with me always,” Brian mumbled against Justin’s cheek, nuzzling the side of the teen’s face. “I’m never giving you up.” 

Justin sought out Brian’s hand which was still resting on his left hip, twining their fingers together. “I never want you to.”


End file.
